MUSIC

Rice University Shepherd School Opera presents L’incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi, Wednesday, November 3, -Tuesday, November 9.  Wortham Opera Theatre - Alice Pratt Brown Hall.

Featuring:
Richard Bado, conductor
Debra Dickinson, stage director
Shepherd School Opera and Opera Orchestra

The adulterous affair between Roman Emperor Nero and his mistress Poppea is the subject matter of Monteverdi's opera L'incoronazione di Poppea, the first opera written about actual historical figures. Though the opera originally premiered over 365 years ago, this interpretation of Poppea's rise to power during the reign of the decadent and depraved tyrant is strikingly modern in its treatment of the psychological aspects of ambition, sexual manipulation and murder.

The vivid characters' displays of selfishness and lust are subtly and passionately depicted in a perfect mix of music and words. The opera's ironic use of beautiful music to portray the moral decay of corruption is perhaps best exemplified in one of the most beautiful love duets in all opera, "Pur ti miro" ("I gaze at you"). The audience's realization of the machinations and murders committed on the way to Poppea achieving her goal of becoming Empress gives this final duet between Poppea and Nero a very dark undertone. Its deliberate ambiguity gives a contemporary resonance to this most modern of Baroque operas.

The Shepherd School of Music Opera Department will present Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea (sung in Italian with English surtitles) on November 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th as part of the Leon Wilson Clarke Opera Series, and in conjunction with National Opera Week.

This production will be conducted by Richard Bado and directed by Debra Dickinson. Performances on Wednesday, November 3rd, Friday, November 5th, and Tuesday, November 9th begin at 7:30 p.m. The performance on Sunday, November 7th, begins at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $12.00; $10.00 for students and senior citizens. For tickets call the Shepherd School Concert Office at 713-348-8000.

The Shepherd School of Music is proud to join nearly 100 other opera organizations nationwide to celebrate National Opera Week (October 29 - November 7). National Opera Week is organized by OPERA America with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, which celebrates the vitality of opera in America today.